Method of sealing vessels.



J. A. HICKS. METHOD OF SEALING VESSELS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1908,

936,893; v Patented 001:. 12,1909.

IIVI ENTOR a ugm A/fMJ/Q '1 BY UNITED srATns rntrnn'r ()FFlCE.

com: AUGUSTUS meets, or 'scmm'r, NEW :mzesnv, nests-Non no new srorrnncomenny, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD or snnmmcvnssnns.

Specification of Letters men.

rat-enter! Oct. 12, 1909.

Application filed May 15, 1808. Serial No. 432,982.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN .AUGUSTUS Hlons, a citizen of the United States, re-

siding at Summit, Union county, New'Jei sey, have invented'oentain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Scaling Ves sels', of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a method of rapplyin-g sealing caps to vesselsand it consists ,in certain operations fully set'torth in the following specification and claimed at the end thereof.

T he object of. my invention is .tosecure a crimped flange sealing cap, similar in .construction to the cap known as the crown and seal cap, to a vessel neck by an improved means. and to apply the cap in such azmanner that quite a perfect sealing results,'1n-

eluding features which are not now known or practiced.

Another ob ect of my inventlon is to draw a cup shaped sealing cap so rigidly down 'over a head on a bottle neck, that the engular space which forms the intersection of the top surface with the pendent flange eliminated, and the stretched out metal made to conform closely to the shape of the enter surface of the bottle bead. I

In order that those skilled in the art :to which my invention ap'pertains may u'nde1'- stand, construct and use my 1nvention, I will proceed to describe it referring to the accolnpanying drawings forming part of this specification in Which Figure 1 shows a perspective View of a crimped flange sealing cap, in outside View.

' Fig. 2 shows a central longitudinal section of the on on the top. of a vessel, over its neck bea and'the tool, by means of which the sealing cap is a plied to the vessel in its initial posltion of cihsure. same :as Fig. 2'b11t with the cap crimps folded under the neck head. of a vessel by the internal parallel walls of the applying tool, and the cap drawn down ovtlrj the'neck bead closely by contact of the inner surface ofthe applying toolwith the .topof the' crimps of the flaring flan e close to the pend;

ent flange or barrel of t 1e cap and without Fig. 3 showsthe any pressure being exerted upon the top surface of the cap, and made to conform closely to the shape of the neck head, by the grip of the tool .on the top surface of the cap flange -.cri1 nps, withoutany top compression, so that the outer circumference of the flaring flange when the operation is complated, is substantially in line with the vertical of the barrel or pendent flange of the cap. Fig. 4 shows in elevation the cap applied to a vessel, showing the resulting practically straight-sided flange, as to the prominences of the crimps, and the depressions, pressed under the neck head-.-

A shows the top surface ofthe cap.

Shows theraised portion of the flaring cop flange.

C. shows the depressions between the raised portions of the flaring cop flange, both B and C constituting thecrimps of the cap.

D shows the barrel of the cap above the flaring flange, and the crimps 'ere formed both in .the flaring flange,'and also --par tially in the barrel D.

H shows a bead upon a vessel neclgond in Fig. 2, the cap is sltuetedupon it previous --to securing it to the vessel permanently.

E shows a cap tool for apply-ing'the cap to a vessel. It is cupped out as shown at L, and the Wells F of the pup are of the same diameter internally as the exterior ofthe barrel of the cap, which it is to apply,

includin the crimp =prominences B. The bottom- 1 of the wall of the'cu'p L, is shaped to fit the flare of the cap-flange overits crimp prom-inen'ces 13. Around the ca tool E a casing J is secured, split at its ower part into spring fingers K, to act as cap temporary 'holdi-ngmeans. 1

.K represents thelineof slits between the fingers K, which divide the casing J at its lower portion into spring fingers K, to hold the cap by friction from dropping out ofthc :applying tool, and to aid in entering the cap in the said tool, other means for retaining-th'e-cap in-the'itool maybe used, without departing from my invention.

The vessel neck is lettered I. By forcin contact between the vessel bead -H .alndeep through the vertical approach of the cap and bead toward each other, by means of the cap tool E, the prominenccs B of-the crimp are bent downward and inward toward the neck, thus contracting the diameter of the flare of the cap flange, and forcing the depressions beneath the neck I bead, to lock the cap to the vessel; in doing this the daring flange enters the cup L of the cap tool, and contracts it tothe same diameter as the exterior of the barrel of the cap, and the grip or friction of the inside or the walls F, of the tool E, draws the cap down over the neck bead of the vessel and compresses the sealing water within it to its full capacity, and shapes the metal of the cap itself to the neck bead, so that all space within the cap, outside of the inner walls of the vessel mouth is eliminated, and all chance of air remaining Within the confines of the inner walls of the cap fiange'and the top part of the vessel bead 1S destroyed. The walls of the cup of the applying tool E, are straight vertically, and there is no taper part to said Walls in the cup.

By the generally accepted. method of securing to'and forming crimped sealing caps upon vessels, the cap 1s held firmly u on the top of the vessel by pressure direct v upon its top, and the cap and sealing wafer, are obliged to take the form of the compressing tool. After this first operation is completed, side pressure is applied to the lower and outer extremities of the crimps or oorrugw tions,'to force them and the sides of the cap into lockin contact with the under side of the bottle cad. This last operation is a forming or compressing force and not a drawing force.

The object of my invention is first to hold the sealing cap in the rigid walls of a cup shaped tool firmly, in order that the nose ofa vessel to be capped will be directed to the center of the cap by the under side of the corrugations in the flaring flan e, secondly that the bottom walls of t e cup shaped tool'shall bear upon the u per surface of'the crimps .of the flaring ange and close to the barrel of the cap or pendent flange in order to secure the greatest amount of resistance of the tool upon the cap flange. When the vessel and cap in the act of cap ping, are forced toward each other the thrust is first received by the cork water in the cap which is thus compressed to its full limit of compression, and then the metal of the upper part of the cap is drawn down to conform, to the vessel bead. By further movement the fiarin flange is pressed into and between the para lel walls of the .cup shaped tool and consequently the crimps of the flaring flange are forced under the bead on the vessel neck and brou ht to the diameter of the pendent flange and securely locked. g It is important in order to draw out the should be vertical and applied to the metal of the barrel oil the, cap Where it joins the flaring flange, in order to get a direct vertical pull upon the flange. It will not do to accomplish this by a tool which must conform to some one form" of vessel bead, and is unchangeable. My tool. by drawing down the flange by vertical pull, is calculated to conform the cap to varying forms of head on the vessels which are often flat on too and also have varying curved surfaces. My

invention causes the cap to conform to whatever form of bead is used and eliminates all uspless spaces within the cap.

Ihe firm grip which the tool E has upon the flange of the cap close to the barrel causes the cap to conform to any inequalities of the irqlelssel bead, and alsothe sealing Wafer to vacancv which may be within the cup 0 the cap. This also to be noted, that the cap being entered in the spring holdingfingers, and the barrel of the can in the hollow of the ap )lying tool 19, with bottoms of the walls at d, fitting the flaring part of the cap flange, the ca is perfectly and positively alined with and controlled by the ca applying'tool E, '50 that during the vertica movement to produce contact and closure over the neck bead of the vessel, the cap is centered and firmly held against side movement.

It is absolutely necessary in securin a sealing cap on a vessel, to make a perizet sealing that the vessel bead shall be guided accurately with respect to the center of the cap, and to do this by means of the crimps projecting below the flaring flange, the cap must be held firmly in a tool which centers the cap in accurate alinement with the center line of the thrust of the machine in ap plying the cap. It is of course understood that this method is to be performed in a capping mechanism, where the vessel and cap are caused to approach each other in .central alinement.

Having now fully described my invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, what I claim. as new and as my invention and desire to secure by Letters latent is The within described method of applying a scaling cap having a to surface, a flange pendent from said top sur ace and a crimpod flange flared outwardly from near the base of said pendent flange, to a vessel having a bead surrounding its month, which consists, first in exertin sufficient force upon the top surface only 0% the top surface of the cap to take the form of the top surface of the vessel bead, and

thereby producean extreme compression of the crimped flange to cause the sealing material between the'top surface 5 vessel bead, by forclng the. erimped ribs| through an unyielding aperture to lock the cap to the vessel. I

In testimony \vhereot, I here signed my ngnne to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 13th day of 10 Way 1908.

JOHN AUGUSTUS Inc-Ks Witnesses LINCOLN A. STUART, JAMES M. HICKS. 

